it it's tuesday, july 7th. this morning, a global good-bye. fans from around the country and the world, in los angeles, for michael jackson's farewell. a-list celebrities will perform. and police are ready for record crowds. but there are also new findings about his battle with prescription drugs. developing story. police killed a man suspected of a murderous rampage that has terrified a town. and historic chat. president obama side-by-side and historic chat. president obama side-by-side with a cold war counterpart. captions paid for by abc, inc. good morning. and thanks for being with us.

i'm vinita nair in new york. >> and i'm jeremy hubbard in los angeles, where today, michael jackson will be laid to rest. in just a few hours, his family will say good-bye in a private ceremony. then, the world will join them in a spectacular, star-studded sendoff. i visited the staples center last night where fans continued to gather to say their own good-byes. there's excitement and sadness there. and carla wohl is at the staples center this morning. good morning, carla. >> reporter: good morning, jeremy. you know, it was here at the staples center that michael jackson last took the stage, rehearsing for his comeback tour. as you mentioned, it will be on this same stage later today, that thousands gather to say good-bye. family members have made final arrangements for michael jackson's prite memorial at forest long ceremony this morning. the pop star reportedly will be laid to rest in a specially designed costume, likely covering his arms, which abc news has learned were scarred

with track marks. police are bracing for massive crowds at the public memorial, which will follow. there will be a star-studded event. mariah carey will sing her version of michael jackson's hit, "i'll be there." the dancers who were part of jackson's final tour will take the sage. beyonce, jennifer hudson, lionel richie, and usher will be there. and from the sports world, magic johnson and kobe bryant. not coming, jackson's ex-wife, debbie rowe, who said she didn't want to be a distraction. and elizabeth taylor, who said on her twitter page, i just don't feel that michael would want me to share my grief with others. 17,000 jackson fans will be there to honor the king of pop. >> i was going to go to one of his concerts. but this will be the closest thing i get to it.

>> reporter: now, the public memorial will be broadcast live in tv and in movie theaters across the country. organizers say it will not be a sad event. rather, a celebration of a talented, if troubled, entertainer. jeremy? vinita? >> and, carla, you mentioned that jackson's arms showed signs of drug use. who else do we know about that? >> reporter: well, abc news has learned from investigators that the track marks are consistent with a very don't sedative, diprivan. and that is a drug that was found in jackson's house. it's a drug medical experts say should not be administered outside the hospital. but we have learned from people who have used the drugs that many get hooked using it to treat insomnia. and we do know that jackson suffered from insomnia. >> abc's carla wohl from downtown los angeles, this morning. thanks, carla. we'll have more from the staples center in this newscast. and tune into the jackson memorial today, at 1:00 p.m.

eastern, and 10:00 pacific. police on the trail of a serial killer in south carolina say they have their man. he was shot and killed by police investigating a burglary, about 30 miles from the small town he had terrorized. he had been released from jail just two months ago. five people were killed in gaffney, south carolina, in just over a week. police say burris' gun is the one that dilled them. >> he's committed crimes in many states. at the time mr. burris was skilled, he was on a probation violation. he was wanted for being a habitual felon. >> police still don't know why burris would have killed them or if he had any connection to the victims. they do want to know why a man with his record was out on the streets at all. overseas, now, where president obama has met with the most powerful politician in russia. it was the first time mr. obama

and russian. putin had ever sate down face-to-face. abc's yunji de nies is traveling with the president. and joins us from moscow with more on this story. good morning, yunji. >> reporter: good morning, jeremy. the president started his day with a very important breakfast meeting, meeting with russian prime minister vladimir putin. both acknowledged that the two countries had a rocky relationship. and spoke about the need to move forward. the president also met briefly with former russian leader mikhail gorbachev. his stated goal was to reach a frame work for nuclear weapons reduction. that seems to have gone according to plan. yesterday, he and president dmitri medvedev, said they would each work to cut nuclear weapon stockpiles by was much as 30%. the russians have allowed u.s. forces to use airspace for key routes into afghanistan. right now, the president is delivering the commencement

address at the new economic school. he says the two countries must work together to forge a new relationship. and in the post cold war area, the goal is shared progress. later this morning, the president will meet with some russian opposition leaders. they will be discussing the economy and human rights. the white house says the president wants to get the few view of what's going on here in aush sha. not just the official one. jeremy? >> any sense of what the president feels like to have his daughter along for this visit? >> reporter: it's a family affair. bringing his family ong for the side. we do know mrs. obama and his daughters were treated to some tours of the kremlin yesterday. they had a wonderful time, we're told. and, of cose, they go on now to italy. the obama girls are getting what mrs. obama calls camp obama. she thought about sending them to summer camp this year. but decided, instead, that she would take them with the

president around the world. it's quite an international education. >> much more thrilling than summer camp. abc's yunji de nies in moscow, thank you. while the president is overseas, there's been a major development in his health care reform efforts. reports say that the nation's hospitals have agreed to contribute $155 billion to help the uninsured get coverage. an announcement on the deal could come as early as tomorrow, from vice president biden. president obama has said he wanted to sign a reform bill by october. alaska governor, sarah palin, is speaking out for the first time since her surprise resignation last week. palin tells our kate snow, she didn't think stepping down would be, quote, such a darn big deal. when asked about her future, palin said she's not going to shut any friends. longtime family friend, kristen kohl, said nothing about her future would surprise her. >> she doesn't have a plan today to run for president. that doesn't mean she won't. the truth is, this governor, just like many alaskans is very

unconventional. >> palin's attorney tells the associated press, there is not a legal issue compelling her to decline. the governor simply felt she had become too much of a lightning rod for partisan politics in alaska. you can see more of kate snow's interview with governor palin, coming up on "good morning america." and now, for this morning's weather from around the nation. strong storms in the middle of the country from nebraska and the dakotas, to minnesota and iowa. late-day showers and thunderstorms in the northeast, with gusty winds and hail from philly to new england. thunderstorms and heavy rain from florida to texas. a high of 96 in dallas. 89 in new orleans. and 95 in miami. just 69 in boston. and 80 here in new york. cooler than normal in parts of the midwest. 75 chicago. and 77 in detroit. and out west, mid-80s in boise and sacramento. and 108 in phoenix. still to come from new york and l.a., gas prices, still falling even at the height of the driving season. and they may keep going down.

and michael jackson was an american icon. but today's memorial has international appeal. and it's being covered by reporters from around the world.

and it is time, now, for a check of market activity, starting overseas. tokyo's nikkei average fell 0.3% today. hong kong's hang seng is lower. in london, the ftse opened slightly lower. wall street starts the day with the dow at 8324, after climbing 44 points yesterday.

the nasdaq fell 9 points to close at 1787. groups opposed to general motors' attempt to quickly end bankruptcy, are looking to throw up roadblocks. lawyers are looking for people seasonfor gm to sell its good assets to a new company. they argue that hundreds of victims will probably be shut out from receiving compensation under the plan. gas prices have fallen again and could keep dropping. prices at the pump cell 3 cents last week, to an average of $2.61 a gallon. that's 30% below the all-time record a year ago. with oil prices falling, gas will likely follow. pepsi co-and its largest bottler have announced plans to boost their investment in russia, pumping in another $1 billion. pepsi and other companies are looking to capitalize in fast-growing emerging markets,

including russia, india and china. "transformers" has conquered the weekend box office again. "transformers" finished first ff the second-straight week. it took in more than $42 million, edging out the latest installment of "the ice age" series. and you can read more about these stories online at abcnews.com. coming up on this tuesday, today's sendoff for a superstar will be watched by fans all around the world. we'll go back to los angeles for details. and the death of an nfl star. investigators close in on a motive, as his fans say good-bye.

welcome back. these are the lateest headlines from abc news. gaffney, south carolina's, nightmare is over. police have shot and killed a man who they say murdered five people in just over a week in

that small town. president obama sounded a positive note this morning after his first-ever meeting with prime minister vladimir putin. and family and friends will say good-bye to michael jackson today. an extraordinary roster of celebrities and entertainers headline a public memorial here in los angeles. and since michael jackson's death, we have seen an outpouring across the world. now, many fans have crossed oceans to come here to los angeles. and for those who couldn't come, reporters are here to cover the memorial in dozens of languages. the international terminal at l.a.x. is a busy place. flights from asia and europe, reportrtedly sold out in recent da with fans and v.i.p.s. many like this fan from spain, don't have tickets to the memorial. >> for me if i can walk on the streets of los angeles and talk to the people. and i think the most important thing is to be here. >> reporter: for those fans who

wouldn't take the trek, rows of satellite trucks are prepppped beam the memorial back to countries around the globe. >> we are airing in austria, and germany. >> reporteter: melanie covered jackson's 2005 trial. and has bebeen on the beat sinc jackson's death. >> people are mourning in front of the tv. people try to come here. we met german fans on the hollywood boulevard. i think it's a mix between joy and dance and just mourning. >> reporter: fans in asia are also hungry for news from california. from thai television -- >> will this be the lead story in thailand? >> of course. >> reporter: to hong kong. >> is michael jackson coverage leading your newscasts in hong kong? >> yes, it is. it's a really big thing. everybody's fighting how to get a spot. how to get a feed and everything. it's really big. >>eporter: these journalists agree, the eyes of the world will be on staples center, later today.

and the last global television event of this kind was the funeral for princess diana. an estimated 2.5 billion people watched that service from around the world. >> fascinating story. thanks, jeremy. a public memorial for murdered nfl star, steve mcnair will be held thursday. police say the gun found at the scene, belonged to mcnair's gifriend, who was also found dead. but they're not yet calling it a murder/suicide. more from diana alvear. >> reporter: he was an athlete with a big heart. >> the steve mcnair i knew, was a great person. >> reporter: news of steve mcnair's murder has stunned tennessee titans fans, who laid flowers and messages at the quarterback's restaurant. police say a friend discovered mcnair's body at a condominium on the fourth of july. a gun was found underthe body of his mistress, who suffered a single bullet wound to the side

of her head. >> the gun that was underneath kazemi's body was porched by kazemi. the classification of miss kazemi's death will not be made until ballistics are done and the results are back. >> reporter: mcnair, a married father of four made the pro bowl three times. was the league's co-mvp in 2003. and came up short just one yard in super bowl xxxiv, of possibly forcing the game into overtime. police say mcnair had been dating kazemi for a few months. it will be a few days before authorities announce whether someone else killed the two, or whether it's a case of murder/suicide. a key architect of the vietnam war has died. robert mcnamara served as the secretary under presidents kennedy and johnson. he was so closely associated with the conflict in vietnam,

that come called mcnamara's car. he waited 30 years before revealing his misgivings publicly. mcnamara was president of ford motor company before backing defense secretary. robert mcnamara was 93 years old. coming up, the latest sports from espn news. you're watching "america this morning" from new york and los angeles. introducing listerine® tota care. everything you need to strengthen teeth, help prevent cavities, and kill germs. introducing 6 in 1 listerine® ttal care. the most complete mouthwash. and to complete your oral care routine add superior plaque removal in places that are hard to reach with reach® toothbrush #and floss. get the complete routine, reach® andlisterine total care. it's much easier to find money at esurance. great auto insurance rates and lots of discounts! got insurance already?

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ran up a score that looked like it belonged on a football scoreboard. we get the highlights, now, from espn news. >> thank you very much. we begin in philadelphia for the reds and the phillies. check out this highlight. johnny queto, to vikt reen toe. 2-0, phillies. later in the first, greg dobbs. fifth of the year. it's now 4-0. the phillies do not stop. it's now 7-0, at this juncture. still batting. bottom first. chase utley. sold. 10-0. phillies. there's johnny queto. he went two-thirds of an inning. jayson werth, it's a grand slam. lo at that final score. 22-1, philadelphia over the reds. to anaheim. rangers/angel, identical records

in the a.l. west. tied in the first. and winner of this game will take sole possession of first place. jeff mathis. angels lead 3-2. jared weaver pitches well. gets defensive help from torii hunter. there's no "i," in team but two in torii. angels win 9-4. boston, mississippi. nomar garciaparra's return to fenway. >> nomar garciaparra. >> in the fourth inning, nomar gets the a's on the board first. this was his first trip to fenway park since the red sox traded him in 2004, the year they won the world series. and that is all from here. back to you, jeremy and vinita. and real quickly, it seems like michael jackson's image is popping up everywhere. look at this tree stump. a northern california family says it looks like the king of pop's face.

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and finally this morning from here in l.a., today's memorial for michael jackson will be sadly familiar to music

fans. we've witnessed this before. a star, once seemingly immortal, who died too soon. whether by accident. ♪ peggy sue ♪ what a crazy world we live in ♪ >> reporter: or overindulgence. whether victims of violence. or victims of themselves. there is a sad fraternity of stars who died too young. ♪ beat it beat it ♪ >> reporter: michael jackson now shoots to the top of that tragic list, under circumstances that are all-too sam lar, almost identical to the others. >> they knew they wouldn't get inside the mansion for the funeral. but elvis' fans came anyway and waited for hours. >> reporter: but you have to go back to elvis' funeral, just two days after his death, to find anything of the same magnitude. >> why is it so important for you to come here? >> because he was my idol. >> reporter: the service in memphis would draw 75,000

onlookers. but it wasn't even the lead story on the network newscasts that evening. >> john lennon's fans turned out all over the world to memorialize him in song and silent vigil. >> reporter: john lennon never had a funeral. but millions of people responded to his widow's request to pause for ten minutes of silence. >> it's very difficult in times like this to find the strength that you need. and the hope that you need. >> reporter: but, of course, jackson's memorial will be unlike any we've seen before. thousands with tickets will watch here at the staples center. millions more will watch on television. not since princess diana's death has a memorial service garnered so much attention. and if the tens of thousands of fans descending on los angeles, today, are any clue, and if history is any clue, that renewed interest in a faded pop star is unlikely to go away anytime soon. sadly familiar scene here in l.a. today. stay with us for a special edition of "goodorning america," as the michael jackson memorial services here in l